Last weekend, I was in the mood for a chicken dish. It had been a while since we had made one. We decided to make it for a Sunday midday meal when Andrew would be joining us. It was a bit involved, with chopping, browning, caramelizing, and simmering involved. And then it took a bit longer because we sent Andrew to the grocery store for some broccoli to go along with it.
Eventually, it was all ready. And it was well worth the wait. This chicken is flavorful and delicious. We all enjoyed it very much. It could certainly be served as the main dish when company is coming. But why wait for company to come to prepare it? This dish is worth spending a little extra time on a delicious chicken dinner any night of the week!
Champagne Chicken
Champagne Chicken (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 50 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 40 minutes, Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups thickly sliced mushrooms
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups sparkling wine
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Season the chicken on both sides with salt. Heat the olive oil over high heat in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan big enough to hold the chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook the chicken on both sides until the pieces are lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. While the first side is browning, season the tops of the chicken breasts with black pepper and cayenne to taste.
Season & cook the chicken pieces.
Once both sides are browned, turn off heat, and transfer the chicken to a plate.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat, in the same pan the chicken came out of. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown.
Cook the mushrooms.
Stir in the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the shallots turn translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the shallots and garlic to the mushrooms.
Sprinkle in the flour and continue to cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated, and the mixture starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute.
Incorporate the flour into the mushroom mixture.
Pour in the sparkling wine and use a spatula to scrape any caramelization off the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture simmer until the sparkling wine has reduced by about half and has thickened enough that the trail left by a spatula dragged across the bottom of the pan takes a few seconds to fill in, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the sparkling wine to the pan.
Stir in the tomato paste, thyme, and chicken broth. When the sauce returns to a simmer, stir in the cream, and let the sauce cook until it is reduced and has thickened enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
Add the tomato paste, thyme, and chicken broth to the pan . . .
. . . then add the cream.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar and return the reserved chicken to the pan. Finish cooking the chicken by simmering it gently in the sauce, turning it over, and basting it every few minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the center of the chicken pieces reaches an temperature of 150º F.
Return the chicken to the pan.
Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter.
Transfer the chicken to a platter.
Serve the chicken with the mushroom sauce spooned over the top.
Serve the chicken with some sauce.
This is absolutely one of our top chicken dishes! ~Linda
Champagne Chicken (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 50 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 40 minutes, Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups thickly sliced mushrooms
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups sparkling wine
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Season the chicken on both sides with salt. Heat the olive oil over high heat in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan big enough to hold the chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook the chicken on both sides until the pieces are lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. While the first side is browning, season the tops of the chicken breasts with black pepper and cayenne to taste.
Once both sides are browned, turn off heat and transfer the chicken to a plate.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat, in the same pan the chicken came out of. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown.
Stir in the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the shallots turn translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and continue to cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated and the mixture starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute.
Pour in the sparkling wine and use a spatula to scrape any caramelization off the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture simmer until the sparkling wine has reduced by about half and has thickened enough that the trail left by a spatula dragged across the bottom of the pan takes a few seconds to fill in, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, thyme, and chicken broth. When the sauce returns to a simmer, stir in the cream, and let the sauce cook until it is reduced and has thickened enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar, and return the reserved chicken to the pan. Finish cooking the chicken by simmering it gently in the sauce, turning it over, and basting it every few minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the center of the chicken pieces reaches an temperature of 150º F. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Serve the chicken immediately with the mushroom sauce spooned over the top.